Love's Like a Hurricane
by llbnst
Summary: Pepper and Tony move Pepper's stuff into the Avengers Tower. Tony thinks Pepper might be cheating on him. A painstaking tragedy happens to Pepper, leaving her the one hiding secrets now. How will this affect the lives of the people around them? Is their love strong enough to get through this? Or is Tony too assumptiously suspicious to see the truth? Pepperony and Clintasha!
1. Intro

STORY TITLE: Love's Like a Hurricane

TRILOGY: Hurt, Distrust, and Profound Love

STORY #: 2

FANFICTION: Avengers, Iron Man

STATUS: Incomplete

SUMMARY: Set after the Avengers, Pepper and Tony move Pepper's stuff into the Avengers Tower. Tony finds out that Pepper might be cheating on him. And with a Christian? A painstaking tragedy happens leaving Pepper the one hiding secrets now. How will this affect their lives and the lives of their friends, team mates, and co-workers? Is their love strong enough to get through this? Or is Tony too assumptiously suspicious to keep their relationship going? Read to find out... (Set after my first story "Still Counting Her Tears")


	2. Not So Sweet Home

AN: Hey guys! This is my second book and also the second book in my trilogy "Hurt, Distrust, and Profound Love". Remember to comment, review, and PM me your questions. If you have any constructive criticism or suggestions, please share! Hope you guys enjoy!

Anthony(Tony) Stark walked into the room, dropping his bags on the floor. "Ahhh. Home sweet home." He tried to take a step forward, but tripped over the bags he'd just dropped on the floor.

Pepper Potts followed Tony's footsteps into the room, only to find her boyfriend on his knees. "Look's like home isn't as sweet as you thought it would be, huh?"

Tony forced a smile over the pain of his nerves overreacting from the impact of his knees against the floor. He winced before saying, "Where are the luggage guys when you need them?"

Pepper rolled her eyes while putting her bags down the floor. "You're the one who told them to get a life."

Tony smirked. "Well, you didn't expect me to encourage them, did you? They're only getting the minimum wage."

Pepper walked to the kitchen and dropped her purse on the table. She sighed, tired from the plane flight to New York City from Malibu. "I'm going to go shower before we go back out. Maybe it'll help me get over this jet lag."

Tony smiled at her in understanding. "Okay, go ahead. I'll just be in here, pretending to take a nap."

Pepper gave Tony a worried smile before walking into the bathroom in their bedroom and locking the door behind her. She knew Tony would take his "medication" before even attempting to take a nap. Tony hadn't been sleeping much lately. He'd wake up at like 11 PM and then go drink the rest of the night away. He called it his "medication".

New York had not only made Tony a stranger to her, but her a stranger to Tony. He never wanted her to touch or comfort him in his down times. He always pushed her away saying he was fine and went to take his "meds". But once, Pepper had tiptoed down the stairs of the Malibu house and looked into the living room to see Tony slumped over two almost empty bottles of Vodka, crying. She had wanted to go over and comfort him, but she hadn't. Instead, she gone back to bed and cried herself to sleep. They're relationship was being held together by thin strings and strings were gona snap if things didn't change soon.  
_

Tony walked into the kitchen, looking for a can of beer to drink before he took his 'nap'. Reaching for his newly replenished stash, he saw a note stuck to the bottom of the can. It read:

Dear Ms. Potts,

Thank you for visiting our congregation last Saturday. We will continue to pray for you. I hope you don't get discouraged because of Mr. Stark's religous convictions. Something tells me that this will not determine whether you will visit us again or not. I hope you will at least consider visiting us again.

Your brother in Christ,

Christopher A. Blake

Tony was confused. (Congregation? Pray? My religious convictions? Brother in Christ? Christopher Blake? Who in the world was Christopher Blake?) Tony wrinkled his nose in disgust. (This can't be good,) Tony thought.

Tony crumbled the note and dropped it in the trash. Maybe Pepper was just trying to pull his collar, trying to get his attention. But still, it wasn't like Pepper to play tricks on him. She hated it when he played tricks on her. Maybe she was trying to get back at him.

Tony grunted as he let his body fall on the couch. It had been a long day and he was too tired to think about the possibilities of Pepper cheating on him with this Christopher guy. Besides, the last time he thought she was cheating, she wasn't at all. Tony closed his eyes and fell asleep, dreaming about Pepper and Christopher Blake...

AFN: I hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter. I'm kinda putting a twist on this story. A Christian twist. But don't get scepticale. It will still be as exciting as ever. So please review, comment, and share your suggestions.


	3. Life is a Dream

**AN:** **Sorry** i **havent**** updated in** a **while. Been busy with school.** _**Okay,**___ **so**__ **the last chapter ended** **with** **Tony** **dreaming. This** _**Chapter**___ **is** **his dream.** **Enjoy!**

Tony's Dream, in Tony's POV:

I opened my eyes. I was somewhere in a forest. I turned around. Everywhere I looked. I was surround by trees. It was dark, the moon wasn't glowing. A twig snapped, and I turned in the sounds direction. Thor was towering over me. I was about to speak, but then he took the Mjollnir, ready to swing. I put up me palm, ready to shoot, only to realize that I wasn't wearing my suit. The hammer collided with my chest, and everything went black.

The next thing I knew, I had my suit, flying in between the buildings of New York City. I passed by the construction site of the new Twin Towers. I gave my salute to a group of tourists there and kept moving. The air was cooling in the beautiful sunset. Apparently, the suit was taking me wherever it want to go. It must have had its own plan, because we rounded a sharp corner. And despite how much I tried to stop, we crashed into a window of the next building.

"What the hell, JARVIS! What was that? Why are we here?"

JARVIS put the suit on lock down, disconnecting me from the controls. "I'm sorry, Sir. I am shutting down your controls. This is the address of the place the blackmail came from." Blackmail? What blackmail?

The suit moved me through a doorway, into a room. There were a three guys there, clad in black, all armed. I tried to back out of the room. But without the controls, I was forced to stay put. My arm raised and I shot one of them. That's one, I thought.

The other two whirled around and started firing. I lifted my arm to shield my face and shot the next one. That's two. I looked around. The third one was no where around. Suddenly, he was standing in front of me. I tried to swing at him, but he ducked. He took that opportunity to punch my facemask. The front fell to the ground and he punch my face. I pretended to clutch my face, but took a shot at him. That's three, I thought. He fell to the ground and I walked into the next room.

I froze. It was all I could do to keep from gasping. Pepper was tied to a chair, passed out. There was a guy standing with a gun, holding it to Pepper's head.

"Stop! Don't take a step closer in that suit, or she's dead." It was Christopher.

JARVIS finally released me from the suit and I stepped out. But that wasn't a smart move. Chris pulled the trigger, twice, and the next thing I knew, blood was dripping from me to the ground. My legs gave way underneath me and I crashed to the floor. Christopher proceeded to shake Pepper awake, untying her and pulling her towards the door on the other side of the room.

"What's going on? Where are you taking me?" She looked around frantically until her eyes landed on me. "Tony!" She yelled.

"Stop! Don't take her." I panted. "Take me instead..."

"No Tony. Get out of here! He'll kill you!" Pepper screamed.

I looked up at her, still covering the gunshot wound on thigh, clutching the other wound on my stomach, so she wouldn't see. She started to pull away from the guy. She kneed him in the balls and, out of pain, he finally let her go. She ran to me, falling at my side. "Tony...what happened?" I couldn't answer. She grabbed my hand away from my thigh, and then my other arm away from my stomach. She looked up at me, her face painfully questioning. A tear streamed down her face.

"Oh, stop it," Chris said, still standing there. "Lady, move out of the way so I can finish him off." Pepper turned herself around, glaring at the man.

"You can finish him over my cold, dead body." Pepper seemed serious.

The guy smirked. "I'm sorry honey, but not all stories have a happy ending." He lifted his gun again.

I looked at Pepper. "Come on, Pep. Leave before you get hurt."

She looked back at me. "I'm not leaving you. Not ever."

Chris clicked the gun off safety. The gun cracked into life, everything happened in slow motion. In one swift motion, Pepper shifted herself directly between me the bullet. I yelled "No!", but I felt like no one could hear me. She was gone. Then, everything was dark.


	4. Everything Will Never Be Okay

**AN:This chapter starts while Tony is still sleeping and Tony is getting dressed. Please comment and review! Enjoy!**

**Pepper**:

My eyes scanned my suitcase for something semi-formal for me to wear. I didn't want to look too casual for our date. I saw a silk, moderate green dress under my hand and grabbed it immediately it out of the suitcase. I slipped it on before I could change my mind about wearing it.

Despite all the things Tony had hidden from me, I still wanted to be truthful to him. I wanted to tell him what Steve Rogers had explained to me about God and Jesus and stuff. I wanted to tell him about the different beliefs and denominations and that I wanted to go to a church that was fully in tune with the Bible. I wanted to tell him that I'd, out of curiosity and against his wishes, gone to a Seventh-Day Adventist church 3 times and become friends with this guy named Christopher Adams Blake. But I knew if I told Tony, he'd get all "protectively angry and annoyed" with me. He might even think I was cheating on him, and that wouldn't be good.

Natasha advised me to wear green tonight when I told him. She said the color green had a calming effect on normal people, people that aren't like The other guy. I hoped she was right. I stared at myself in the mirror. Maybe, I thought, if I stared at my dress for long enough my nerves would calm down a bit. My heartbeat slowed a bit and I felt a little better. I guess it works, I thought, smiling to myself.

Walking into the kitchen, I grabbed my purse off of the table and took out my key for the tower. I froze. Something was awry, but everything seemed quiet. Then it hit me. _Tony!_

I ran as fast as I could in my heels into the living room, only to find Tony curled up on the couch. He was moaning in his sleep. My heart sank. I hoped his dream wasn't because of the empty cans of beer on the floor. I let myself fall to his side, partially wrinkling my floor-length dress, but I didn't care. I put my hand on his shoulder and gently shook him.

"Tony! Tony! Please wake up...," I whispered the last part. Much to my dismay, his moans only got louder. The louder he got, the clearer his voice sounded. Then, I heard his moans turn to words.

"Stop! Don't touch her! Take me instead!" He yelled, his facial expressions pained. He wasn't in physical pain from drinking. He was dreaming. It was all mental. The tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to overflow. God, wherever you are, I need you now, I mentally cried.

"Tony! Tony, wake up!" I screamed. He awoke with a start at the sound of my voice.

"Are you okay?" He asked me, sitting up, panting. He stared at my face as a tear rolled down my cheek. I wiped it away and nodded. But Tony could tell I was lying. He pulled me into his arms and onto his lap. He held me close as I cried into his chest. Tony hesitated before pulling me back so he could see my face.

"It's okay, baby." He gave me a weak smile. "Don't worry. Your in a relationship with me. Everything will never be okay. But I am right now. So please, don't cry."

I wiped the tears from my face. Tony intently stared at me. I stopped sobbing and laid my head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around me. The smell of his cologne and the whir of the arc reactor soothed my soul. We sat there for a couple of minutes, basking in that awful silence. I closed my eyes. His warmth, his touch, his presence, and for the first time in my life, God were the only things pushing me right now.

Tony's brow furrowed. "You know that I love you, right? You know that I never want to hurt you?"

My eyes flashed open as I answered. (_*sniff*_) "Yeah, I know."

"Good." Tony rested his head back. Suddenly, he sat back up. "I totally forgot!"

"What?"

"We've got a date tonight." He glanced at his watch.

"What time is it?" I questioned.

"Seven forty-nine."

I lifted my head off of Tony's chest, giving him room to move. He stood up and walked into the kitchen and then into the bedroom. I grabbed my purse off the kitchen table before following him. He grabbed his jacket off the bed and made his way over to the elevator before pushing the button.

"Tony, weren't you suppose to make a reservation?"

He gave me a sweet, sly smile. "Honey, when you're Tony Stark, there's no such thing called 'making a reservation'. The whole world has already been reserved for me."

I gave Tony an annoyed look that said, "Are you serious?"

Tony laughed at my expression. "But...just in case, yes, I made a reservation."

The elevator doors opened and we linked arms and walked inside. "Good," I said as the elevator doors closed.


	5. Drunken Dinner Dates

AN: This is the next chapter! I'm really sorry it took so long for me to post. I had a lot going on. Anyway, I'll be posting a Christmas One shot. It'll have Pepperony and some spoilers for the next book. Plus Tony-Whump! It's very good, so good, I think I impressed myself. I will post it midnight Christmas Eve so look for it on Christmas Day! Anyway, enjoy this chapter! And Even if it seems like this book is going nowhere, don't worry. The Fun starts with this chapter!

Tony:

Nervous. I felt nervous. I know your probably like, "Tony Stark? Nervous? That can't be!" Well, if that's what you were thinking, your wrong. Pepper was sitting across from me, rescanning her menu since she'd already ordered, while I just sat there, at our table, nervous. I was so nervous, from time to time, my hands would involuntarily shake. Nervous because I was afraid Pepper might ask me some questions I didn't want to answer. We were at the fanciest restaurant in New York City that actually served decent amounts of food. The chandeliers shone their twinkling lights, bouncing off of the gold that seemed to be everywhere.

Our waiter screeched back into life, with her annoying, high pitched voice. "Have you decided on your order yet?" she asked me. I hadn't even touched my menu yet.

"Um...," I looked at the vast array of drinks advertised in the menu until my eyes landed on the perfect one. Lightly flavored wine and champagne with a dash or two of amaretto and blackcurrant liqueurs. "I'll have the Axis K, thank you very much." The waiter nodded and I handed her my menu.

Pepper looked up at me, surprise clearly shone on her face. "Tony... aren't you going to order something else? You have to eat some food, not just that drink."

The waiter walked away with our order. I looked at my hands, at the scars I had from taking chances and being foolish with sharp things. "That drink," I said, mimicking Pepper, "is all the 'food' I need." I gave Pepper my finallization look, and I saw hurt flash through her eyes. "I'm sorry Pep. I just don't feel that hungry right now.

"Fine. Just know the tower has nothing good and by the time we get back, the Stark Cafè will be closed." Pepper's attempt at changing my mind was fruitless.

"I'll be okay," I said, showing no emotion. I knew that the late hours would bring sleep, sleep would bring dreams, dreams would bring emotions, emotions would bring alcohol, and alcohol would get me drunk. And I really didn't want to throw up at the bar again.

The waiter came back and gave Pepper her plate of food before handing me my drink. "May I suggest," the small girl said to Pepper, "the same drink for you?"

Pepper shook her head. "Somebody's got to drive us home." She was right. Happy was most likely having his happy hour, drinking and smoking somewhere on the other side of the restaurant. The waiter left and Pepper turned to me. "What are you thinking about?"

I didn't answer for about a minute, scanning the restaurant for Happy while Pepper started eating her food. After a few minutes of silence, I asked, "Do you have plans tomorrow?"

Pepper looked up at me. "Tomorrow is...Sunday, so no. I have no plans. Why?"

I felt my heart skip a beat. I was in luck. That was the first time in a long time that she wasn't busy on a Sunday. Lately, she'd been taking Saturdays off instead of Sundays. "Well,...I know you been in New York City many times before, but those were just all business trips and stuff. I was hoping that we could maybe take a tour of the Big Apple tomorrow."

Pepper's face brightened. "Are you serious? That's great. Did you get us a tour guide?"

"Yeah. His name is Cole Quinn, but I call him Cole Blood. He was always into those horror movies."

"You...know this guy?" Pepper asked with a confused look on her face.

"Um, yeah. We both went to MIT. We were pretty close until his older sister married my cousin, Morgan Stark. Now, he and Morgan are close, like the way Obidiah and I were before he tried to kill me. Morgan and Cole's sister divorced now, Cole and Morgan are still friends."

Pepper smiled. "Yeah, I know what that's like."

I thought back to the days when Pepper was married to Happy. When Happy was my bodyguard and Pepper worked as a secretary at Stark Industries. But things sure have changed. "Wanna walk to that ice cream shop down the street? It opens late."

"Sure! I'll go tell Happy we'll be back soon." Pepper got up from the table and walked over to Happy was sitting. I could see her lips move as she talked to Happy. She was just so beautiful. 'There's no way I can ever stop loving her', I thought to myself. 'She's the total package'.

Pepper walked back over to me and I took her hand as we walked out. There air outside was cool, the wind blowing softly in the city. Seemed like perfection. "Tony, I need to tell you something," Pepper said without looking up.

"What's the matter?" I asked her, not showing any concern. We were nearing the ice cream shop and I was trying to keep things neutral in case I tried to bail eating any ice cream myself.

"Well," she started, "remember all the things I've been telling about Catholicism and how it doesn't correspond with what I've read in the Bible?"

"Yeah," I replied, bored.

"Well, I finally found a church that matches up with the Bible! The Seventh-Day Adventist Church(SDA)! I went to a SDA church last Saturday when I went to Sacramento Cali. with Rhodey and..."

I turned around to face Pepper, stopping her in her tracks. "What? What did you just say?"

Pepper looked scared at my sudden outburst. "I went to church last Saturday. It was cool and I want to go back. I met this lady and a man there. They were both about my age. They were really nice. I think this is the right church. I think I've finally found it!"

I stood in front of Pepper unable to hide my utter shock. All this time I didn't expect her to be so interested in religion, not interested enough to go to church, no matter how much she talked about it. I thought...I just thought...

Pepper's excited expression slowly died. "You're okay with this, right? You said you were okay with this when I asked you the first time."

Deceivingly, I gave Pepper a reassuring look. "Yeah, I'm totally okay with it. That is as long as you don't try to convert me. Evolutionist and proud, you know."

"I try not to," Pepper said, totally falling for my gag. "Now let's go get our ice cream!"

I just hope she never finds out the truth.

AFN: I will post the next chapter in less than a week since it took me so long to post this one. Hope you liked it. Until next Time...!


End file.
